


i don’t like a gold rush

by beneryxo



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Earth prime? I don’t know her, F/F, Harun-El, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, characters listed in order of appearance/major mentions, if you guys like it I might write more, ratings will increase accordingly, set some point after season 5A??? I think, settle up this is going to be an angsty ride, the sapphic yearning here is off the charts, these idiots want each other so badly, this prompt is not mine!!! From i-am-robin on tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:49:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28707693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beneryxo/pseuds/beneryxo
Summary: Kara and Lena are heartbroken fools who stopped speaking to each other months ago, after Lena confessed her feelings.They’ll need to join forces, work and fight together. Can they see through the hurt?Sooo... I saw this prompt going around twitter   (https://twitter.com/gayluthxr/status/1348847125308862466?s=21) and I got inspired to bring it to life  I hope you enjoy it!
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 74
Kudos: 323





	1. walk past, quick brush

It wasn’t so bad when she went into the building and up the elevator for her meeting, so she didn’t think much of it. Lena cursed herself for that now, knowing well that she should’ve remembered how incredibly unpredictable National City’s weather was when it came to rain. The lightest drizzle could either turn into a full blown thunderstorm or open up into a beautiful sunny afternoon, at any given time. So, in hindsight, she should’ve prepared for this. But... she didn’t. So when her cell service failed briefly during the call to her driver - to let him know she was stepping out of the building - and the doors of the elevator opened up to floor to ceiling windows, a raging storm ricocheting off of them, she knew she’d be screwed. 

Through a temperamental signal Lena instructed her driver to pick her up on the magazine stand in front of the building. She knew full well he wouldn’t have access to the parking floor of a strange building, and cursed herself for meeting with a new investor on their own terrain. 

She took a deep breath as she clicked her stiletto heels on the marble floor, held her beautiful leather handbag up on top of her hair, and ran out. 

In seconds she started shivering with the cold, but braved through until she reached the shelter of the magazine stand. She was just trying to steady her breathing and keep herself warm when...

“No, the one to the left please. Yes, with Lena Luthor on the cover. That one. Thank you.”

Her eyes widened. She’d know that voice anywhere. Beside herself, she followed the sound - she always would. 

“Do you know her, miss?” She heard the worker at the stand question.  
An uncomfortable laugh reached her through the heavy rain.  
“Oh, um... I knew her, once. She’s... good.”

Lena could see her now, staring down at the magazine in her hands. Her golden hair looked a little darker from dampness, half up in pretty twists around her face. The crisp blue button down slightly mussed. Glasses a bit askew. She could see the hint of blue behind them. 

Lena inhaled sharply as she took it all in - too sharply. Kara snapped her head up so fast Lena wondered if she’d put a touch of superspeed into it - and the thought covered her tongue in a bitter taste. But that didn’t matter. What she saw next would take any coherent thoughts out of her head. Blue met green, and time stood still. Lena thought for a second all of the raindrops falling around them had halted to a stop, standing still in reverence of a blue ocean washing ashore something Lena hadn’t felt in so long. 

“Lena” she saw Kara’s lips so prettily form the word, though she couldn’t hear them - sounds stood still, too. 

She was startled out of her haze by her cellphone vibrating in her pocket. She’d forgotten completely, but it all rushed back to her. The sounds of traffic and heavy rain, her next meeting in twenty minutes back at LCorp, her driver... oh he must be looking for her now. 

“Lena, I...” Kara started to come closer, her beautiful face searching Lena’s expression as Lena’s eyes raced over the curb, trying to spot her driver. 

She merely lifted her hand up to Kara, which stopped her dead in her tracks.  
“You look well, Kara. I must be going now. Goodbye” Lena said in most of the boardroom voice she could muster. 

And just like that, she walked into the rain, holding her purse up. In seconds opening the back door to the fanciest black sedan Kara had ever seen, and stepped inside. 

Left on the sidewalk, dumbstruck, Kara shook her head as if to snap herself out of it. Was that even real? Did it really happen?

“Was that her?” She heard the worker inquire, and looked up at him.  
“Yes... yes it was. I think I need to... No, never mind. Here you go” Kara handed him the money for the copy of Forbes she held in her hands. She’d already read the interview online, but she couldn’t help herself - she loved to get hard copies and see Lena’s words printed on them. If she read them slowly, she could hear the sound of Lena’s voice... could almost see the shape her lips made as she spoke. 

The worker took the money from her hands and smiled at her, holding onto her fingers for a moment.  
“Kid... you should go get her.”  
Kara’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh no I couldn’t possibly impose on her that way” she laughed, trying and failing to pull her hand back. It didn’t reach her eyes.  
“Trust me, kid. You’ve got this look in your eyes. You’ve lost shit - pardon me. It doesn’t take too much to see it. Don’t let yourself lose her... again”.  
The worker released her fingers. Kara looked back at where Lena’s car had been. 

She’d been following through Lena’s plans. Her achievements, her bravery, her strength. Her heart ached at every interview she read, every TEDTalk and speech she watched. The truth was... with Lena, Kara had made the biggest mistake of her life. She lied to her best friend - the love of her life. And it had cost her dearly. In her more troubled days, when she closed her eyes she still saw Lena yelling at the Fortress of Solitude, so much pain pouring out of her. She frequently woke up panting from a nightmare trying to save Lena - from Lex, from the world, from herself. Kara had to admit Lena had done a beautiful job in saving herself, though. Lex was out of the picture now - swiftly pushed out of the public eye, and that was all Kara knew about it. Lena had propelled LCorp forward in exciting and beautiful ventures. Kara missed her. Terribly. Her eyes, her face, her beautiful laugh that echoed through the walls. They had been so close before... if only...

Kara was startled out of her reverie as someone bumped heavily into her, dropping all of their belongings promptly on the floor. That seemed to include... a solar system model?

“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Kara turned around and swiftly began to gather the papers together, trying to save them from the wetness of the rain.  
“Sam!” Kara startled. 

“Hi, Kara! Thank you. I’m so sorry, it’s been one of those days.” She said as she sighed heavily.  
“Yeah, tell me about it. I haven’t seen you in forever. What brings you to town?” 

“Well...” Yes, this was too awkward, Kara thought.  
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that” Kara laughed. 

“I’m just helping Lena out, getting some big investors for a project”  
“Oh I hope everything goes well!” Kara swallowed hard.  
“Kara” Sam looked dead serious, warm brown eyes fixed into Kara’s piercing blue “you need to come back”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? It’s my first time writing Supercorp so... not sure. Should I continue this? I’ve got lots of ideas! Let me know 😊


	2. sinking ships on waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Kara and Lena battle the haze of seeing each other for the first time in almost a year, we get a glimpse into the past... and what’s to come.

Lena stormed into the whiteness of her office, its sharp lines muted by the dark clouds. The wind hammered on the windows, and she was glad Jess had the foresight to tell her to close the balcony door as she left.

Her raven hair was dripping, her grey dress had darker spots all over. She beelined to her desk and set her leather bag down letting out an exasperated sigh.  
She stood facing the balcony as her gaze floated up, getting lost in the gray on the other side of the glass. The rain was so heavy, she could barely make out the shapes of the buildings across the street. How fitting, she thought, that she was having just as much trouble making out the edges of her own thoughts.

Lena caught a glimpse of blue peeking through the clouds and her mind immediately wandered into the vastness of Kara’s eyes. They had been so blue, even through the rain...

The phone on her desk rang and she jumped up slightly before reaching for one of the buttons.

“Yes?”

“Miss Luthor, your next meeting has been slightly delayed due to the rain, but Miss Rojas should be here in about twenty minutes.” Jess sounded cool and collected. If Lena believed in any gods, she would’ve asked them to bless her wonderful assistant right then and there.

“Thank you, Jess. That’s great. I’ll be ready in ten, when she arrives you can show her right in.”

“I’ll make sure to do that, Miss Luthor. Will you be needing anything else?”

 _A few glasses of scotch wouldn’t hurt,_ Lena thought.

“No, thank you, Jess” was all she said instead.

Truth was, Lena has been drinking increasingly more over the last few months. But this week was important, and she wasn’t about to blow it.

She walked over to the furniture beside the television on the wall and reached under the counter, pushing slightly up. The white shelf opened up into a secret closet, a warm light shining inside as Lena surveyed the hanged clothing for an appropriate outfit. She met the green of her own eyes on the mirror inside. At least her makeup was still acceptable, sharp burgundy lips and a discreet smoky eye hovering over her porcelain skin. She attempted to tame her unruly loose hair, which had begun to curl slightly, into her signature high ponytail.

When she was satisfied with it, she saw something on the floor out of the corner of her eye. She knelt down on the ground, and reached for the wooden box, opening it slowly. She pulled out magazine and newspaper clippings, her heart skipping on her throat as she read each byline.

_by Kara Danvers._

She pulled out a clipping with a picture of Kara and her, holding each other’s arms and looking into each other’s eyes at the Pulitzer ceremony. Lena’s vision was blurry. She sighed and blinked heavily, trying to snap herself into place. She felt something wet in her hands.

Great. Now she was crying. She had to run into her, didn’t she? Anger bubbled up in her chest.

At the very bottom of the box, she grabbed Kara’s National City University sweatshirt. Absentmindedly, she brought it to her nose and inhaled the faint scent of Kara, her tears darkening the fabric. Under it, she kept the other things. Clippings and more clippings, so many more than the ones that had been on top, stamping images of a proud Supergirl saving the day. The House of El crest seemed to scream at Lena.

She threw everything inside the box and pushed it violently into the closet, standing up in one quick motion. She pulled down her purple dress from the hanger, closed the closet and went into her private bathroom to change.

Andrea would be here any minute. She was ready.

*** 

Kara now sat in Sam’s large suburban home, sipping tea at the kitchen island. It turns out Sam had never brought herself to selling it. Ruby had been so happy here. The home was now empty, for the most part.

Sam was sitting across from Kara, gluing parts of her solar system back together - part of Ruby’s school project. Sam knew Ruby would see it and call her aunty Lena immediately for something fancier, but being away from her was so hard, she had to keep herself busy and connected to her daughter somehow.

“So where’s Ruby?” Kara asked, bringing her mug to her lips.

“She’s staying with a friend’s parents while I sort things out here... ugh Kara I miss her so much and it’s only been a week! What on Earth am I going to do? I thought about bringing her but, you know, I don’t want to uproot her life again, and...” Sam’s speech got increasingly faster and louder. Kara stopped her with a friendly hand to Sam’s wildly gesturing hands.

“Sam, you are a wonderful mom. You will figure it out, I promise.”

Sam smiled.

“Thank you. I’m so sorry to talk your ear off like that... umm... we were going to talk about...”

“Lena” Kara whispered her name with a hollow throat. The sky was getting darker outside, and it wasn’t clear wether the sun was setting or the rain was increasing.

“I’m always in touch with her from Metropolis and... she seemed alright. But when I got here, Kara... she’s in bad shape. She’s working and drinking herself half to death. I stay with her at her apartment most nights and...”

Kara’s heart was leaping out of her chest, her eyebrows shot up.

“And?”

Sam swallowed thickly before continuing.  
“She cries herself to sleep. Every night, after roughly 5 or 6 generous glasses of scotch or a couple bottles of wine, she just... she sobs, Kara. She’s in so much pain.”

Kara remembered that night, quite some time ago, when she and Sam looked after a very drunk, very depressed Lena Luthor.

Kara’s insides hollowed out. She felt a painful empty wound inside her. Inside her ribcage her heart hammered against her skin, but as she closed her eyes... she was so sure it was an illusion. Her heart wasn’t there anymore. It hadn’t been, in a long time.

“She hates me, Sam”

“She loves you, Kara. And you know that. She told you that. And you broke her heart. You both made mistakes. It’s time to fix that.”

Kara remembered Lena’s screams at the Fortress, seared into her memory.

_“I killed my brother for you, for our friends! Don’t you understand what you’ve done? You used me! And I went against every fiber of my being. I trusted you, Kara” Lena’s voice quivered. “I loved you. I fell in love with your warmth, and your earnestness. You swore you would never hurt me.”_

_“You... fell in love with me?” Kara’s voice cracked and she tried to come closer to Lena... but for every step she took, Kara saw green eyes retreating away from her.  
“Lena, I was trying to protect you!”_

_“The only thing I need protection from is you.” Lena spat the words and Kara felt as though they were kryptonite blades digging into her skin._

“Sam, I can’t. And besides, she’s okay! I mean, she seems to be doing well, LCorp has so many wonderful things going I don’t want to get in her way. The best thing I can do is stay away.”

“That is bullshit, Kara.” Sam tried to be gentle about it, but slammed her mug onto the sink. She bent down and grabbed something from the cabinet.

A bottle of Aldebaran rum.  
She poured them two shots.

“Sam... you can’t drink that”

“Oh yes I can. A little gift from our friend Reign. The regular stuff barely hits me anymore. And besides. You’re going to need your courage.”  
Sam took her shot and winked.

“What are you talking about?” Kara’s crinkle between her brows deepened.  
Her phone rang. “Andrea! Hello. Yes. Okay. I understand. I actually think Nia might appreciate the opportunity to... No. Alright. You’re the boss. It’ll be on your desk by the end of the week. Yes, goodby-“

Kara pulled the phone from her ear and frowned. Sam smiled knowingly.

Kara’s face looked like she had been flung into open space. Her eyes met Sam’s, her mouth drooping open.

“You are evil, Sam Arias.”

“I would say Andrea wins that one.”

Kara downed her shot. Sam was right. She was going to need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m amazed at the reception this had! I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome! Thank you all so much. Did you enjoy this chapter? Any guesses as to how this is going to go? Hahaha. I love to hear your thoughts!!


	3. double vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up kids. This is an angsty one. You've been warned.

_”Wait, you what?”_

Alex’s voice was incredulous through the phone.

“I have to do a complete cover feature on LCorp’s latest release” Kara exhaled dramatically.

“And what is it, exactly?” Alex asked.

“How am I supposed to know?” Kara’s hand came to her chest and her pitch rose.

“Kara, don’t act like you don’t have a collection of Lena Luthor magazines and articles sitting under your bed right now.”

Kara bit her lip and her eyebrows crinkled. “How do you know that?” She sounded mildly ashamed.

“Not my fault if you pass out during sister night and I have to find entertainment on my own in your apartment”.

“Alex!”

“No Kara, but really, what’s this big project?”

“I’m not sure yet. It’s all confidential, CatCo is getting an exclusive. Or, we’ll... I guess I am. Andrea should leave the info on my desk tomorrow morning.” Kara currently sat curled up in her couch, wearing pink pajamas and her cute rainbow socks. A half-eaten bucket of popcorn sat on her lap and she popped some into her mouth between sentences. “I saw Lena today”, she voiced around a mouthful.

“What is this Lena streak out of the blue? What happened?” Alex asked.

“She wouldn’t even talk to me, Alex. She iced me out completely. I ran into Sam, too. She’s in town for this LCorp thing, whatever it is.”

“Sam’s in town?” Kara thought she heard a hint of nervousness in Alex’s usually leveled voice.

“Yeah, and get this: she says I need to come back to Lena.”

Alex blew a raspberry over the phone. “Lena was the one who ran away from you. You tried to talk, she wouldn’t listen! And then she went all Luthor-mode-activated and decided to play God...”

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have called her a villain. And she didn’t even go through with it. You know it was all Lex.” Kara looked down at her lap. She heard some noise on the other end of the line.

“Kelly’s home. I gotta go. I love you, okay? Don’t worry about it. You’ll do fine. Just text me if you need an out.”

“And what are you gonna do?” Kara smiles when she hears the pop of a kiss on the other end. Kelly made Alex so happy, she was glad to know they had each other.

“I don’t know, I’ll call you with some sort of Supergirl emergency or whatever.” Kara could practically see her sister’s hands gesturing for her to calm down.

“Alright. I’m going over there tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Good. Love you!” Alex said.

“Love you!”

As Kara hung up, she thought about calling Lena. She sighed heavily and decided against it. She needed to do this properly.

***

Kara wondered if she had picked the right outfit as she walked into the whiteness of the lobby at LCorp. She went with her blue, Peter Pan collared shirt. _”Always go with blue. You know this!”_ Alex had said with an irritated voice earlier that morning. She couldn’t help fidgeting with her glasses, her shoulder bag, the envelopes in her hands... It was safe to say, she was nervous. But she was also furious.

She did not expect to see what she saw in the pages Andrea had left for her. And it was enough to make her blood boil.

Inside the elevator she tapped her foot incessantly, trying to control her strength as best as she could, earning funny looks from the people riding with her. As she stepped off at the top floor, it took all of her willpower not to superspeed straight into Lena’s office.

“Hello, Miss Danvers! How lovely to see you. It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?” Jess smiled at her from behind her desk.

Kara bent her head slightly, trying to plaster a smile onto her face. “It certainly has! Hi, Jess. Is Lena in? I have an appoin-“

“Oh, yes, I know” Jess waved a hand through the air “she’s stuck down in the lab for a bit, but she’ll be in very soon! Can I get you anything while you wait? Coffee, water?”

“Oh no, thank you though. I’ll wait here.” Kara smiled and moved to sit in the corner of the room.

“You don’t want to wait in Miss Luthor’s office?” Jess sounded as confused as she looked, already standing on the other side of her desk.

Kara laughed nervously. “Yes! Of course.”

Walking into Lena’s office felt like coming home and being flung out into deep space all at once.

Everything was the same. Except… it wasn’t. For a second, it was like nothing bad had ever happened. A warm smile found its way into Kara’s face. Looking fondly at the couch and around the room, she was momentarily stuck in this halo of a moment, the warm sunlight coming in bright and yellow through the windows, illuminating flecks of dust with a golden light that Kara was so familiar with, and it nourished her soul - it was almost exactly the way Lena made her feel, before… Before. That thought broke her in two. She could never deny how much she missed Lena, how much she loved her… But now she was reminded of what she saw, and that was too much. Lena had gone too far. She couldn’t believe it, still. Lena… _her Lena_ would never do this… or would she?

Even though the room looked the same - white and polished, golden and inviting - it was as though all the light had been sucked from the sky, all at once. Kara was left alone in what felt like an empty, dark space covered in sharp, painful thoughts… of her.

And just like that, the unmistakable sound of Louboutin heels reached Kara’s ears, her swirl of anger rising and turning what was once a golden warmth into an oncoming eruption she could barely keep at bay.

Kara intentionally kept her back turned to the door as she stood in the middle of the room, and waited as the sound came closer and closer.

“Kara.”

Her voice was surprisingly soft. Kara had expected Lena to put on her best CEO voice for her, but somehow it hadn’t come. That managed to break the blonde even further.

She turned around slowly on her heels and could not stop the exasperated sigh that escaped her when she laid eyes on Lena’s perfectly tailored burgundy suit, slightly covered by a lab coat. Her green eyes were sharp and intent, but also seemed to search for something. Her silk-like dark hair was loose, smooth and in light waves across her shoulders. Her lips matched the color of her suit.

“Something wrong?” Lena raised an eyebrow as a response to Kara’s odd sigh.

“No. Absolutely not.” The words were out of Kara’s mouth before she could think better of them. In the millisecond of pause, she saw Lena raise her eyebrow further. “Actually, yes. Something is very wrong.” Kara crossed her arms across her chest, cleared her throat. “What on Earth do you think you’re doing?” This time her voice came out an octave lower.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean” Lena said as she removed her lab coat and set it on the coat rack beside her desk. She sat back on her chair. “Aren’t you here to get an exclusive on my new release? Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that supposed to be a good thing, for a journalist such as yourself?”

Kara looked around the room for a second. She focused on her hearing to make sure the door was shut, there were no recording devices around, and nobody but Jess was anywhere near the room. When she was satisfied, she moved closer to the desk, lowering her torso slightly to drop the envelopes right in front of Lena. She placed her hand on top of them, coming closer, glaring blue into green.

“I think, for a _Kryptonian_ such as myself, it isn’t quite so _good_ to find out you’re planning on releasing technology that can turn a human piece of DNA into a Kryptonian one.” Lena’s eyes widened.

“Kara, I…”

“What?” Kara stood straight, hands on her hips. The blonde was practically yelling now. “You can explain?”

To Lena, she looked this odd mixture between the woman who was once her best friend, and distant, righteous Supergirl. She saw them both, right in front of her, showing in the weirdest ways. It was a bit unnerving, after almost a year without laying eyes on either of them.

“Yes. I can explain.” Pale green eyes flickered with hurt.

Kara looked down at Lena. “Go”, was all she said.

Lena stood up, leveling their stares. “Did you even see what this is going to be used for? Did you even _bother_ to actually read the file?” It was clearly Lena’s turn to glare and raise her voice.

“It doesn’t _matter_.” Kara shook her head.

“Of course it matters, Kara! This is going to save thousands, _millions_ of lives! Can you stop being so selfish and judgmental for _one fucking second and listen to me!_ ” Lena yelled.

“You betrayed me, Lena. This is a betrayal. Isn’t it enough that you ignored me for months? That you wouldn’t pick up my calls? I apologized a thousand times, I needed to protect you! And then you decide to tell me you were in love with me and just _leave_? Erase me from your life without even _considering_ that maybe I had feelings for you, too?” Tears streamed down Kara’s red hot cheeks. “And _now_ you decide to go behind my back, not even consult with me, while you plan to release out into the world technology that could so easily be used against me?”

An angry ocean of blue overwhelmed Lena’s pale green, now overflowing with tears. She was speechless.

“You don’t have anything to say to me?” Kara whispered through gritted teeth, tears falling like a waterfall. Only a desk stood between them now.

“You had feelings for me?” Lena managed to croak out in a voice that sounded so small, Kara’s heart shattered right then.

For a second, Kara wanted to kiss her. She wanted to forget any of this ever happened and let herself feel Lena’s lips on hers for the first time. But she couldn’t. The hollow of pain in her chest called out to her.

In an abrupt movement, Kara picked up the envelopes with a clenched fist.   
“Maybe you should have considered someone else’s feelings before you decided to play God with mine.”  
Kara took the envelopes, reached for her bag on the floor, and stormed out of Lena’s office.

On the ground floor, she dialed Sam.

“We need to talk. You have some explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can only hope you're not too mad at me hahahaha  
> I promise the ending will make up for it but until then... we got some more angst coming your way.  
> How you guys feeling after this one?
> 
> P.S.: I got such overwhelming support on the second chapter! Thank you guys so so so much for this, it means the world to me <3 Please let me know in the comments if you guys would like me to always respond to each of your comments, or if end notes are enough <3


	4. falling feels like flying till the bone crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations, drama and even more unanswered questions...  
> Let's go!

Lena stood looking at the door of her office for several minutes before she was able to move again. She took deep breaths in an attempt to steady herself, her hands shaking slightly on top of the table. Lena sat back down on her chair and swallowed thickly.

Maybe she should’ve told Kara about it sooner. In hindsight, she thought she shouldn’t have given Andrea those files to begin with. She should’ve waited and showed Kara everything herself. She should’ve known better than that.

Resting her forehead on her fingertips, Lena texted Sam.

Lena [10:45am]: I think I fucked up.   
Sam [10:46am]: With Kara, right?  
Lena [10:46am]: How did you know?  
Sam [10:47am]: She called me. She wants me to explain what’s going on   
Lena [10:47am]: Tell her everything. She should know. I should’ve told her myself, but I don’t think I can get her to come back now.   
Sam [10:50am]: Are you sure? Everything?  
Lena [10:51am]: I’ll tell her about Lex when the time is right, but everything else, yes. She needs to know.  
Sam [10:52am]: She’s here. I’ll call you later

Lena dropped her phone on the table and stood up fast, looking out into National City’s skyline. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her heart felt like it was about to explode right out of it.

 _“The only thing I need protection from is you.”  
_ Lena’s words had hurt her as much as they’d hurt Kara. She distinctly remembered that night, rolling in her sheets for hours unable to think of anything but Kara’s beautiful, sorrowful face amidst the ice of the Fortress. She so desperately wanted to kiss her tears off her face. The thought of how much she was hurting Kara felt like an unbearable burn that charred and curled the edges of her heart.

 _“If you decide to forgive me, I will be there for you. But if you continue to work with Lex, if you go through with whatever it is the two of you are planning, I will do everything in my power to stop you. Just like I would any other villain.”_   
Kara had barged in that night much the same way she had torn her way into Lena’s heart: uninvited, beautiful, and with a righteousness that would be annoying - if she hadn’t been somewhat right. After Kara had left, Lena sipped her tea and tasted the salt of her tears along with it. She felt forced to consider her words for many reasons, but most of all, she knew something was wrong. Deep inside her she knew that Lex surviving not one, but two gunshots fired from her own hand meant something had changed. At first she wasn’t sure, but now she knew it had been the Harun-El.

Turning away from the skyline, Lena donned her lab coat back on and threw her hair back. She tied it up into a neat ponytail, her steps were firm and decided out the door.  
  
“Jess, please make sure I won’t be disturbed for the next few hours. I have some work to finish down at the lab.” Her voice was stern.

“Of course, Miss Luthor.”

Lena went down to her private basement lab. She couldn’t help but think of all that had transpired there. She remembered Sam, so many sleepless nights trying to understand her complex biology and how to stop Reign from taking over her. She thought about watching her cellular structure change. And she thought about how she felt when she saw Lex’s cells shift in such a similar way. The hollow in her chest. The despair.

Taking a deep breath she used her thumbprint at the doors to the lab. The doors _wooshed_ open, and a loud banging began right away.

There, in the same cell she had kept Sam, Lex banged heavily on the walls, the energy of them rippling out where his hands touched.His eyes were manic, his chest was heaving. Lena schooled her features and tried not to let any reaction show. She tried not to flinch after each blow.

“Dear little sister… don’t you see what’s happening here?”

Lena raised an eyebrow as she looked through her files, but did not grant him any attention.

“Oh Lena… you must know I am getting stronger by now. You’re not _that_ stupid.” His head cocked to the side, his eyes shined in the fluorescent lights.

A while ago, Lena had chosen not to engage his attempts to rile her up. She got much farther along much faster if she kept her distance - physically, but also, psychologically. She did know he was getting stronger. Now typing furiously at her keyboard, she was running out of ideas.

Lena had extracted the Harun-El from Lex, but there were side effects she had never seen before. The cancer cells attacked by the serum shifted into kryptonian DNA and Lena had trouble slowing down the insane mitosis phenomenon that followed. She could tell this was related to what had happened to Sam, with Reign. With Sam’s help for the last several months and extensive research, she had been able to isolate a kryptonian strand of RNA which allowed her to essentially eliminate the possibility of rejection in virtually any transplants. She had tested extensively with smaller mammals, having astounding results, surprising even herself. With the release of this new gene therapy protocol, she would open a clinical trial at Luthor Family Children’s Hospital.

She hoped Sam would make Kara see how many people - children - they could save. She knew Sam was much better suited for explaining the emotional aspect of this. Even so, anxiety took hold of her mind, her breathing quickening, as she pictured what could be happening at Sam’s right now.

Lex punched with particularly brutal force and Lena was startled out of her thoughts. Still having trouble steadying her breath, she looked over to the cell and could not help how her eyes widened noticing the vibrant blue cracks at the sides. Lex punched it again. And again, and again. Lena got up from her stool. She wondered if she had time to run.

***

As Kara arrived at Sam’s, her anger had subsided from explosive to a low simmer. The whole way there she had tried to steady herself, breathe, tell herself Lena would never hurt her.

The look on those beautiful green eyes… That was real, and Kara knew. The love she had for Lena now made her ribcage feel too small for her heart, which hammered fast. That look had made Kara picture what it would be like to have her back. To have her close. Kara’s lips trembled, she bit them and closed her eyes. She could not get the thought of Lena’s lips touching hers out of her head. Her body ached for it, even through the hurt of what felt like betrayal. She exhaled a shaky breath out, deciding to try and reserve judgement upon hearing everything Sam had to say. The blonde wiped her tears and rang the doorbell.

Sam answered immediately. They didn’t say a word before reaching the kitchen island. Sam bent down and grabbed the bottle of Aldebaran rum.

“You want some?” She asked.

Kara nodded along before she even thought it through.

They downed their shots simultaneously, both slamming their glasses onto the countertop.

“Okay.” Sam’s brown eyes were determined and looked straight into Kara’s. “I lied to you.”

Kara’s eyes widened. “About what, exactly?”

“I have been here, in National City, for a few months now.” The brunette took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a moment. “Kara… Ruby is not at a friend’s house. She’s sick. She’s in the ICU at the Children’s Hospital downtown. She has acute lymphocytic leukemia… or something like it. It’s very similar, but her cell mutations follow very odd patterns. Lena and I think it’s because of Reign, somehow. I brought her here as soon as I could, and Lena has been trying to come up with something to… to save her. She needed a bone marrow transplant but I…” she faltered for a second and tears started streaming down her cheeks. Kara reached out and held her hand. “I’m not a match for her. Lena found a donor but now… now her body is rejecting the new cells and we’re just… we’re running out of time, Kara.”

Sam’s brown eyes were desperate and inconsolable. Kara found that she, too, was crying. Out of all the things she expected to hear from Sam, this had been nowhere near that list. She thought of Ruby, sweet, beautiful, incredible Ruby, and could not fathom an image of her being so sick. Her words failed her, and she hugged Sam tightly.

Sam held onto Kara’s shoulders and sobbed.

When she was finally able to breathe somewhat normally, she let go of the blonde and rushed into explaining.

“Lena figured out a way to use a piece of kryptonian RNA for a protocol that renders rejection impossible. She’s tested so, so many times, Kara. There was no development of powers of any sort whatsoever. And every subject lived. There have been no adverse side effects. That is what she’s going to release - a gene therapy clinical trial. And Ruby is at the top of the list.”

“Sam, I… I am so sorry.” Kara squeezed the brunette’s hand. She readied herself to speak again, but heard something that made her head snap up.

“Kara?” Sam was confused.

“It’s Lena. I have to go.” She flicked her glasses off and ran.

***

Lena managed to run into the elevator and shut the doors before Lex broke himself free.

“Jess, start the evacuation protocol!” She yelled as she stepped off the elevator at the top floor and rushed into her office. She saw Jess run off.

Her ponytail came loose while she ran right up to her hidden closet. She opened it up as quickly as she could, going through the contents of the wooden box frantically. At the bottom, she found the watch Kara had given her and closed her fist around it.

“Sister, sister…” Lena flinched when she heard his voice. She got up quickly and turned to look at him, hands behind her back.

“Hello, brother” her lips quivered and pulled at the edges. Her green eyes felt icy and empty.

“Those are the first words you’ve spoken to me in months.” His eyes were dark as he walked slowly towards Lena.

She’d been trying to stop this. She did everything she could, but it hadn’t been fast enough. Lex’s powers had been increasing slowly. He seemed to only have super-strength, so far, and Lena had been certain it couldn’t get as powerful as Kara’s but now, as he walked towards her, she could see the cracks on the floor form around his feet with each step, and she wasn’t so sure anymore.

She walked backwards towards the balcony. With each step he took, she took two, bracing herself on the wall for support, unable to see the path behind her. She was behind her desk now, and Lex had reached the open closet. He looked down in disgust and picked up pictures of her and Kara off the floor. Lena took advantage of his distraction to open the watch behind her and press the button. He heard the sound of the watch, his eyes full of rage when he looked from the newspaper and magazine clippings to Lena.

He yelled and jumped toward her. With a loud cry, Lena’s body fell back against the glass, crashing head first onto it as they collapsed on the balcony. Glass shattered everywhere, she felt the sting of shards puncturing her lab coat, suit and skin all over. Lex’s body felt heavy on top of her, his hands trapped her shoulders down. Now that Lex was fully exposed to the sun, she braced herself for what was to come, her eyes closed, face flinching.

Lex lifted himself abruptly and stared down at her.

“I have always known you were weak, Lena, but now I am truly disappointed. How could you be this stupid? This hopeful? Little Supergirl, your beautiful Kara” he lifted the pictures he still held onto and looked into them with mock sadness. “You think she would even care to come to you AFTER EVERYTHING YOU’VE DONE?” His voice rose, yelling hoarsely and so loudly down at her.

Lena’s body closed in on itself. She would not dare to open her eyes. She felt small. Suddenly, she was a child in the Luthor mansion again. Lex grabbed her by the collar of her suit and lifted her up, off the ground. He held her in the air, raising her over the ledge and out. Lena reached for his arm desperately, just as she had when she was five and he held her out the treehouse window. She wanted to scream, but couldn’t find her voice. And then, he let go.

“LENA!” A scream echoed.

Lena opened her eyes. She saw the side of her building. The moment felt like it lasted an eternity. She looked up and saw her own name get further away, on the building and in her ears. Until she heard it again, so much closer this time.

“Lena!”

Gentle arms caught her mid-air, cradling her in.

“I’ve got you. It’s okay. I’ve got you”

Kara’s voice was hushed now, barely above a whisper. Green eyes opened slowly. All Lena saw was deeper and deeper blue, her head lulling out, her consciousness barely there.

Kara tucked Lena’s head gently into her shoulder, using her own face to hold Lena’s there. She felt the scent of Lena’s raven hair mixed with the blood that trickled down her head. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, face flush against Lena’s, holding her tightly.

“I’ve got you. I won’t let you go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support, it truly means the world <3  
> Some people asked for longer chapters and although this one isn't that much longer, I think it's an improvement hahaha
> 
> Lots of new stuff here, huh? What do you guys think?
> 
> I thoroughly enjoyed reading each of your comments in the last chapter! I love how invested you guys got with the plot and the ethics of it. What do you think now? Is Lena's gene therapy alright? Should Kara still be angry? What about Lena trapping Lex? So many questions!


	5. anticipating my face in a red flush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena get slightly closer, Ruby needs help, the Danvers sisters have a talk, Alex and Sam meet again.

Kara was now lying beside a sleeping Lena in the medbay at the DEO. She hadn’t even bothered to change clothes, still in her Supergirl suit. Lena looked so fragile in a hospital gown, tubes stuck to her arms. Her head had been bandaged up and Alex prescribed painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications.

 _”She’s going to be fine, Kara. No major injuries. She’ll recover quickly. Don’t worry.”_ Alex had said. She was now in the control room, glancing at them every now and then through glass.

Kara saw Lena had goosebumps on her arms and frowned. She lifted her cape up and covered Lena’s body with it, hiding her own without even noticing. Kara dropped the corner of her cape over Lena’s chest gently, shy fingertips grazing Lena’s collarbone. She noticed small cuts across Lena’s skin where her suit and lab coat failed to protect her. The frown deepened on the blonde’s face as she pushed black hair back gently and let her index finger hover over an especially deep cut on Lena’s neck, now stitched up. Kara felt her move, taking a deep breath, and retreated her hand under her cape quickly, as if she’d been burned. The blonde felt like she could barely breathe, as if any sudden movement might break this moment like water tension on the surface. At the same time, she wanted to get up and be rid of the confusion of feeling trapped, helpless and yet so enthralled. Ultimately she stayed, afraid to leave Lena cold without the cape to cover her brittle body.

Lena’s eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, trying to adjust to the light. She blinked a few times and looked down, confused.

“Kara?” Her voice was weak and her throat dry.

Kara looked up at her, trying not to move much so her cape would stay in place.

“Hi. How are you feeling?” A shy smile pulled at the corners of Kara’s lips.

“Why am I using your cape as a blanket?” Lena asked sincerely, clearly dazed, her thick eyebrows coming together in a deeper furrow. She looked like a lost kitten, Kara thought. A furious blush took over the blonde’s features.

“You just seemed so cold, I...”

Lena laughed a little and wound up coughing. Kara helped her sit up, cape still covering their legs. Lena tried to clear her throat.

“Can you get me some water?” Her voice was a pained whisper.

Kara was flustered as she brought the cup from the bedside table to Lena’s lips. Lena reached for it with her hand.

“Kara? I can manage.” Green eyes zeroed in on wide blue.

The blonde got up from the bed immediately and retreated to the corner of the room.

“Of course, yeah. Sorry.” She shook her head and crossed her arms on her chest, fidgeting on her feet, her blonde curls bouncing slightly. Kara let out a long, loud breath she had barely realized she’d contained for so long.

Lena wanted her to stay. She felt the cold of the DEO air rush through her skin when Kara’s cape swished behind her. It wasn’t her place to bring Kara back to her, the raven haired woman thought as she shivered at the loss of the blonde’s warmth.

Lena chugged the water wishing it were something stronger. It was so fast Kara was a little startled. The blonde saw Alex moving towards the medbay, but lifted a hand. She wanted to talk to Lena first. Alex stopped and turned back to the control room, sending a few questioning glances their way.

“What do you remember?” Kara asked. Lena was pouring herself another glass of water.

“I remember the treehouse. Lex coming for me.” Lena blurted out with no hesitation or thought. She placed the jug and glass on the bedside table, exhaling in frustration and pain.

“Treehouse? Lena, you were at LCorp”.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I meant LCorp.”

“Why would you think it was a treehouse?” Kara moved toward her slightly.

“Just forget about it, Kara.” Lena’s voice was definitive, curt. The blonde felt the words pull at her heartstrings. Lena continued. “Lex has been trapped in my basement for months now. When I realized something was wrong, I knew I had to contain him. I have been trying to neutralize him. Clearly, it hasn’t worked out as I’d hoped” her chuckle was humorless.

“He broke free and attacked you” Kara breathed out the words as she paced back and forth.

“Yes” Lena exhaled, looking down at her hands. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

Green eyes lifted shyly to look at the blonde, thick lashes wet with unshed tears. Kara let herself look into Lena’s eyes and as if they hadn’t been before, her heartstrings were now thoroughly seized by them. She knelt next to Lena’s bed, her hands grasping the edge of the mattress, their eyes never leaving each other’s gaze.

“I will always protect you. I meant that before, and I mean it now.” Kara pressed her lips into a tight line.

Lena’s pale fingertips made their way to Kara’s so, so slowly. The air felt thick. Lena’s chest felt constricted, and she wondered if Lex had hurt it in some way. Breathing felt so difficult. Lena placed her fingers close to Kara’s, barely touching. It was Kara who laced their fingers together oh so carefully and when she did, Lena drew in a sharp breath. Kara attempted to retreat but Lena seized those escaping fingers with her own as tightly as she could.

“Did I hurt you?” Kara asked, her face reddened.

“Ahem” Lena looked up and Kara snapped her head backwards to see Alex clearing her throat standing in the doorway. “Lena, we have some questions for you, when you’re ready.”

“Of course. Come in” as soon as Lena said the words, Kara stood. The warmth of her hand lingered on Lena’s even after she zoomed across the room.

“I’ll leave you to it” all green eyes could see was a blue blur, and Kara was gone.

***

Kara arrived at Luthor Family Children’s Hospital later that day in civilian clothing.

“Ruby Arias, please” she said as she reached the check-in desk. She was being handed her visitor badge when she heard Sam’s voice.

“Kara! I’m so glad you’re here.” Sam held onto the blonde’s arm and led her down the hallway, into the elevator. They rode alone.

“How’s Ruby doing?” Kara asked.

“As well as can be expected” the blonde could tell Sam was trying not to sound so sad. “How is Lena? Has she woken up? I’m sure she has, you wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

“You’re right. Because I’m a good friend.”

Sam raised her brows and turned her body fully toward Kara.

“No? I’m not a good friend? A good hero, maybe?” Kara tried again, afraid to look Sam in the face.

The brunette crossed her arms, tapping her heel on the ground.

“What do you want me to say, Sam? That’s what I am!” The elevator now neared the top floors.

“Yeah, that’s what you are” Sam leaned closer to Kara. “By choice.” The elevator dinged along with her words, and the brunette walked out. Kara followed suit. They walked down the long white and pale blue hallway, passing two nurse stations and walls with big drawings on them. 

“You mean _her_ choice, right? She was the one who iced me out.” Kara was flustered with her words.

“Funny, since you’re the one with the freeze breath and icy fortress” Sam said at the end of the hall, then turned and headed into Ruby’s room.

“Ha ha ha. You think you’re so funny” Kara voiced, following.

“Mom is actually quite funny, aunt Kara. Though most people don’t get the stuff she jokes about.” Ruby’s voice sounded out.

She looked so small. Pale and thin, she was covered in blankets lying in the hospital bed. Kara could tell her hair was thinning out and she had much, much less of it now. The sight tore Kara’s heart apart, even as she tried to act normally.

“Hey, hey Ruby!” She sat at Ruby’s bedside and reached for her hand. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“I’m fine. They let me have real food today! I was so sick of that mushy stuff. And I got to pick my jello flavor.” Ruby’s smile was weak, but there.

“That sounds great, kiddo.” Kara smiled back.

“Aunt Lena pulled some strings, didn’t she?” Sam was sorting through their belongings in the corner of the room.

“She’s the best. She’s getting me that hologram for the solar system model for school, you know?”

“Oh, come on now! Mine was so cool.” Sam mock-complained.

“Mom, it was _styrofoam._ You know how terrible that is for the environment?”

Kara and Sam exchanged amused looks, smiling thinly.

Kara’s phone started ringing. She stood, taking it from her pocket.

“I’ll be right back” she walked out of the room, watching silently as Sam sat on Ruby’s bed and stroked her face gently while they talked.

“Kara, hey” Alex’s voice came in through her phone “before you even ask, Lena’s fine. I did another check up on her. She should be free to go tomorrow, but she’s not very keen on spending the night at the DEO.”

“Hi! Well, that’s a bit of a relief. Thank you.”

“No problem. J’onn and Nia contained things at LCorp, but Lex vanished. Thought you should know. We’re gonna try to track him down.”

 _Dr. Finley to Radiology. Dr. Finley to Radiology._ The hospital PA system came through. Kara grimaced.

“Where are you? Are you in a hospital?” Alex asked.

“We need to talk, can you meet me for coffee?”

***

Twenty minutes later, the Danvers sisters sat at Noonan’s armed with lattes. Kara told Alex everything - from what she knew about Lex, to Ruby’s illness, to Lena’s research.

“That’s why I saw red immediately when I saw the files. I recognized the kryptonian DNA she’s working with. And then I didn’t even bother to read through the rest of it. I’m such an idiot.”

“First of all, nobody gets to call my sister an idiot but me. And second, you were totally entitled to being at least a little angry, come on! Lena was working with what is basically _your DNA, your whole heritage_ and didn’t say anything about it. You kind of jumped the gun a little, but so did she!”

“I guess you’re right, we were both out of line” Kara lifted her hands up in defeat.

“I always am” Alex smiled. “And you and Lena are being absolute idiots. How have you not worked it out yet? So she had feelings for you, who cares? You guys can get over that, right?”

“Well...” Kara looked down like a puppy who did something wrong.

“Kara? What happened?” Alex stopped mid-sip on her coffee.

“I may have told her I have feelings for her too” Kara’s shoulders drew up to her ears and she closed in on herself slightly, covering her face with her coffee cup and taking a large sip.

“Ugh about _goddamn_ time! Jeez! How clueless can you _be_?”

“What does that even mean? Did you _know?_ ”

“ _Everyone_ knows, Kara! _Come on_. You literally have pictures of her under your pillow.”

“Hey they’re under my BED, not my pillow. And they’re not pictures! Just… articles... that happen to have pictures... in them.”

“I swear to GOD, Kara, you need to work this shit out. This is getting ridiculous.” Kara opened her mouth up to speak again, but Alex kept going. “And do not come at me with this whole ‘she hates me’ thing. You have to talk to her. I will not elaborate on this subject any further. Now come on, you gotta take me to see Ruby.”

***

When they got to Ruby’s room, she and Sam were playing chess very quietly. The board sat on top of Ruby’s moving table, mostly used for her meals. The girl’s smirk was visible even as she tried to conceal it.

“Winning, are you?” Alex asked Ruby as they walked into the room.

“Aunt Alex!” Ruby lifted her arm, telling her to come closer.

Sam lifted her gaze from the chessboard, and she and Alex exchanged a funny look. The redhead walked closer to the bed and leaned down to hug Ruby as carefully as possible.

“Mom sucks at chess” Ruby said when they came apart.

“I do not!” Sam feigned herself insulted and was met with three pairs of raised eyebrows. “Okay… I kind of do. Not my fault you’ve been training with chess prodigy Lena Luthor this whole time. Of course you’d be better than me by now.”

“Where is aunt Lena, anyway? I haven’t seen her in a couple of days. I thought we were gonna start the new treatment.”

Sam looked dumbstruck. Kara opened her mouth to talk, but Alex was faster.

“Aunt Lena has a lot of work to do, sweetie. She’ll be back as soon as she can, I promise. Speaking of which… Kara, we have some business to attend to?”

“Yes, yes… We most definitely do” Kara got up from her seat brushing her hands over her thighs.

“Well, if you see aunt Lena, tell her I miss her.” All three other hearts in the room tightened at that.

“We will. Promise.” Kara nodded.

“And I’ll bring you some more fun games. We can all play Monopoly! And have game night here. What do you think, kid?” The redhead asked.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Sam smiled fondly at Alex, who blushed slightly.

The Danvers sisters moved toward the exit.

“Before you go, can I speak with you for a moment?” Sam followed them out of the room.

“Ruby is in bad shape. We need Lena to come back soon, the doctors say the anti rejection meds don’t seem to be having much effect and…”

Alex placed her hand on Sam’s wrist. The air got thick.

“Sam, Ruby’s going to be fine. Don’t worry. We’re keeping Lena overnight for observation, and tomorrow she’ll be here.”

“And I’ll be there to look after Lena, too.” Kara spoke. Sam and Alex snapped their heads toward her, as if they’d forgotten completely she was there.

“Good. Keep me updated.” Sam walked back into the room.

***

Back at the DEO, Alex headed to the control room to manage the search for Lex, while Kara went to see Lena. She walked into the medbay to find Nia and Lena sharing a laugh. A tray with a meal was laid out in front of Lena, thought it seemed she hadn’t eaten much of it.

“Hey, what are you guys laughing about?”

“Kara!” Lena sat up a little straighter.

“Oh nothing, we were just... you know.” Nia shrugged her shoulders.

“Riiiiight...” Kara was unsure, walking about with hesitance.

“Nia is keeping me company. Apparently I can’t leave the DEO until Alex reassesses me in the morning.” Lena rolled her eyes. Even though her voice was raspy, she looked better, stronger.

“But I should get going. Gotta deliver some papers to Andrea. No rest for the wicked!” Nia got up from the corner of the bed. She walked toward Kara and pointed a finger to the blonde’s face. “You take care of her, Danvers.”

“Don’t you worry, I’ve got it covered” Kara nodded, laughing.

“See you tomorrow, Lena.”

Lena waved at Nia as she walked away, strutting down the hallway in her Dreamer suit.

“So...” Kara moved closer and sat at the edge of Lena’s bed. “How are you feeling? You never answered me earlier.”

“Better.” Lena looked down at her hands, feeling the force of piercing blue eyes searching for green.

“I’m glad." The blonde paused and took a deep breath. "Lena, I... I owe you an apology. I completely overreacted to everything and you were right... I didn’t even read the whole file. I’m so used to my heritage being threatened and attacked I didn’t... I didn’t think it through. I’m sorry.”

Shy green eyes looked up slightly.

“You don’t have to apologize. I deserved it. You can yell at me if you want to, really. I can take it.” Lena closed in on herself, bowing her head and shutting her eyes as if waiting for Kara to burst out in a rage right then and there.

“No, Lena... I never should’ve yelled at you to begin with.” Kara’s brows were furrowed. She couldn’t believe the pain she felt at seeing her once best friend so completely sure she deserved such awful things.

“I’m sorry too, Kara. I should’ve talked to you before anyone else. I just... I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me. Although maybe I was wrong, considering you bought my magazine” Lena chuckled.

Kara laughed. This felt so familiar, and yet so different. Blue eyes finally captured green and Kara couldn’t help parting her lips as if she had something at the tip of her tongue to say, though she blanked on what that could be. Lena’s hand lifted from her lap slightly, grazing the fabric of Kara’s coat.

“Kara, I...” Lena’s voice was a whisper.

“I’m going to stay with you tonight.” Their eyes parted ways as Lena grinned slightly.

“You truly don’t have to. I’ll be fine.”

“You will, because I will make sure of it.” The blonde retreated and crossed her arms over her chest, taking on a bodyguard stance.

“My hero” Lena mocked slightly, though her laugh stopped dead in its tracks when she saw how Kara was looking at her.

Blue eyes shined brightly and Lena thought she could feel across her fingertips all the love that seemed to pour out of them. She felt so completely undeserving of how much Kara seemed to value her very existence. Even now, as she laid wearing no makeup, with her raven hair in oddly shaped waves and curls - recently washed to get the blood out - Kara seemed to look at her like she was worth the whole world. Lena’s heart tightened. She surely had to be imagining things. Kara had been hurt so badly, in so many ways, she couldn’t possibly give so much of herself willingly. Not to Lena. Not to a Luthor. This was why Lena hadn’t acted on the only thought that filled her mind. All she wanted to do was reach for Kara’s hand, pull her into the small hospital bed, and fall into the embrace she knew she fit into so perfectly. She wanted Kara’s hands holding her, rosy lips on hers. The incredible warmth of her keeping the cold at bay. But she would not dare.

For now, she was grateful to have Kara by her side. Even if only for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A calmer chapter after the craziness of the last one.  
> Thank you so much for all your support, it truly leaves me speechless. You guys are awesome <3
> 
> Some of you had asked for longer chapters, so I'm trying it out. Does it feel too dragged out? Do you guys like it?
> 
> A little gay yearning never hurt anyone, right? ;) What do you guys think?


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